Kho-Kho : A Neighbourhood Game

Kho Kho is a popular game in India. The game requires 11 players on each side out of which only 9 players are allowed to play in the field at one time. The ground in which Kho Kho is to play should have a rectangular pitch and should be 29 meters long and width must be 16 meters. There are two more rectangles at each end. One side should be 16 meters while the other one should be 2.75 meters. Two poles are needed to be fixed at both ends of the ground. The circumference of the poles should be 28.25-31.4cms.

Before starting the game, the players need to get divided into two different teams with 12 members on each team. Out of these two teams, one will be the chasers and the other one will be the defenders. Each team will get the chance to play both roles. A Kho Kho match consists of two innings of 7 minutes each, which include both chasing and running. Eight members out of Nine players will sit on the central lanes facing alternate sides. The ninth player has to chase the opponent team player and will have to touch him/her. There will be a gap of 5minutes after each innings. This game is played among all gender with no age bar.

There are some types of equipment required to play Kho Kho. To make a proper Kho Kho ground one will need to fix two poles (either wood or iron), metallic measuring tape, strings, lime powder, stopwatches, Wire Nails, stationery to record scores, and a whistle for the referee. Certain rules need to be followed Like- Out of 12 players, only 9 players can play on the ground at a time. A Kho Kho match comprises two innings. Each inning will be of 9 minutes in which running, turning, and chasing all are included. One team player will sit in the middle of the ground in a row and should face opposite directions. The player chased by the chaser will touch the nearest possible player on his/her back and should say ‘Kho’ to give him a chance to chase. The team taking less time to touch the chased player will win.  It sounds a bit confusing but when you start playing it once, it will turn out to be the easiest game to play. This is one of the biggest reasons why this game is so popular among all.